Come join me in the country as I navigate life as a working mom with an array of critters, kids and husband in tow! You'll find a little of everything - food and parties, kids and craft projects, gardening and outdoor fun, a top-to-bottom house renovation, family and traditions, community and women's issues. Grab your boots and let's get to it!

More Country How-To's

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Godiva Spirits Party

Do you host a cookie swap or holiday open house and want to add a fun little twist? Or are you looking for a great mid-winter party to help break up the monotony of the long cold months? This Godiva Spirits party could be just the thing! It would also be a lot of fun as a Valentine's party or unique retirement or anniversary party.I hosted this party as a date-night party for my friends last winter. I had a couple of pregnant friends and those who gave up liquor for lent so I adjusted a couple of the recipes to non-alcoholic versions and you'll find both below. The non-alcoholic are also kid-safe recipes but make sure you either personally serve everyone or have them all well-labeled so there are no mix-ups.

In keeping with the chocolate and richness of Godiva theme, I decorated with browns and metallic and a pop of red - I found these elegant napkins and plates at the Dollar Tree. I broke out my good serving trays and brought out all the Godiva desserts and drink samples in rounds every 10-15 minutes. I bought the little condiment cups with covers (see the Chocolate Pomegranate Twist recipe below for a picture) and served drink samples, pudding shots and mousse in those. The condiment cups I found at Walmart but most wholesalers also carry them.

The goody bags I found at the Dollar Tree, along with the metallic bead necklaces. Also in the goody bags were several items sent from Godiva including: mail-in rebates for $ off Godiva spirits, a refrigerator magnet with a few drink recipes, and a Godiva napkin and plastic cup. I also couldn't find Godiva chocolates locally so I added chocolate coins I found at Meijer.

I asked guests to bring an appetizer to share and I had plenty of supplies for guests to try mixing their own concoctions with the Godiva products.

************************************************Godiva Cake

This is an adaptation of a recipe for Kahlua Cake from the Sunday Night Football Cookbook. I’ve made it with the Kahlua following the original recipe too and it is hands down the best cake ever! So dense and moist even without the glaze. Remember, the baking cooks off the alcohol so for kids use the non-alcoholic glaze and it will be fine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan (I don’t have one so I used a 13x9x2 glass baking dish). In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine all the ingredients and beat for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (about 55 minutes).

Invert the cake onto a serving plate. While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze over. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. The original recipe calls for letting the cake cool completely. I've served this chilled in the fridge but you probably won’t be able to keep your hands off it until it’s cooled – I much prefer it still warm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line your muffin cups (this recipe made 12 regular-sized cupcakes and 54 mini cupcakes for me). Mix all ingredients well and fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake full size cupcakes about 20 minutes and mini’s about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat marshmallow crème, butter and vodka (or vanilla) with an electric mixer until well blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. If it’s not stiff enough, add additional powdered sugar until piping consistency. Frost cupcakes. You can also top with shaved chocolate, cocoa powder or a drizzle of melted chocolate.

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Chocolate Covered Cherry Bomb (Shot)

½ ounce maraschino cherry juice

½ ounce Pinnacle whipped cream vodka

1 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur

1 vodka soaked cherryDo not make these ahead as they will curdle.

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Drunken Chocolate Strawberries

Thanks to Erica at Erica's Sweet Tooth for this idea and recipe! I did use whipped cream vodka in place of the vanilla vodka. Loved these and they look awesome! I served them on a deviled egg platter which worked perfectly and looked beautiful.

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Just My Country Me

Food, kids, family, animals, hockey, snowmobiling, tradition, crafts, parties, gardening, re-purposing, and the great outdoors - need I say more?! Never a dull moment, I work full-time and then come home to a mini zoo (if you think I'm joking stick around a bit). My husband is my high-school sweetheart and we have two brilliant, adorable kids (of course, we are biased). We love this great state of Michigan and all it offers, we both come from big families, and on top of that we just bought the foreclosed house next door and renovated top-to-bottom in a few months time! I grew up around farms and rural life (I even went to a one-room schoolhouse) and its important to me to teach my children those traditions. We're not afraid to get dirty out here in the country so make sure you wear your boots and get ready for an adventure!